Hi, working with web2py is fun and I've learned a lot about web development and Python. So 'yes', web2py is a great teaching tool and the docs are very good too. Small projects are a breeze to realize and MVC separates the concerns nicely. In larger projects however, I still manage to end up in a bit of a mess. What I lack is a set of w2p design principles that go beyond MVC.
The type of questions I had are: - What should one never place into a Model, View, Controller, Module and why? - What should one always place into a Model, View, Controller, Module and why? - What known exceptions are there to these rules? - Should a view ideally be assembled entirely from components? - At what granularity should components, controllers and plugins operate? - Should one try to create a (Rest) API first and then consume it oneself? ... Here's how I would answer some of them today: - Create a distinct controller for every business function (blog, shopping cart, ...) - Keep controller actions as small as possible. - Move all utility functions into custom modules that don't depend on w2p (i.e. they don't import gluon). - Allow strictly no logic in views except for loops and branches. - If DAL is too low-level or an alternative storage backend is used create a ORM-type wrapper as a custom module. - Assemble pages from components. ... This is how I would go about my next w2p project today but I am sure that I would have to learn some new lessons the hard way. How do you structure your apps to avoid spaghetti logic and to keep them maintainable? I would also be interested to hear the kind of questions you have? Maybe we can collect our lessons learned and compile a nice document/catalogue. If there's already such a doc, please let me know. Best regards, HC --
